A32-year-old father of two small children lived in the midwestern united states. an avid hunter since childhood, the man visited annually with family and friends in colorado for elk hunting. his job required frequent travel to europe, where he enjoyed exotic foods. in 1988, his wife recalls, he began having problems. frequently he forgot to pick up things from the store or even that his wife had called him. later that year, he was unable to complete paperwork at his business and had difficulty performing even basic math. in england on business, he had forgotten his home phone number in the united states and couldn’t remember how to spell his name for directory assistance. by september, his wife insisted he seek medical care. all the standard blood tests came back normal. a psychologist diagnosed depression, but a brain scan revealed spongiform changes. he was given six weeks to live because there is no treatment for this disease. question a: what is the most likely etiology (cause) of this disease? a. prionb. bacteriumc. fungusd. virusquestion b: how did this man most likely become exposed to this disease agent? a. he was exposed to this disease while eating exotic foods in europe. b. he was exposed to this disease during trans-atlantic flights to europe. c. he was exposed to this disease while hunting in europe. d. he is likely to have been exposed while hunting elk in colorado during his childhood. question c: is this disease contagious? a. yes, it is likely to be transmitted by infected mountain streams in the rocky mountains. b. no, the disease is not contagious. c. no, this disease is transmitted only by mosquitoes. d. yes, it is likely to be transmitted by ticks in the rocky mountains. question d: which test confirmed the presence of this prion disease? a. psychological evaluationb. nutritional deficiencyc. brain scand. blood workquestion e: what is the typical incubation period for prion diseases? a. 6-12 monthsb. 2-3 weeksc. decadesd. 3-5 days